Friends
by blue shine
Summary: Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.
1. World–Weary

**Summary:** Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!

I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.

**A/N:** This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).

* * *

**I: World-Weary**

* * *

Where did _that_ come from?

Lex Luthor frowned as he threw the light switch to his walk-in closet, peering closer at the object in question. It looked to be an old dress shirt of his, but for some reason he couldn't quite place it. While Lex realized the peculiarity of someone so wealthy being discriminating enough to notice one odd piece of clothing in such an extensive wardrobe, he couldn't help feeling surprised that he hadn't come across it sooner.

Reminding himself that there was no time for even the smallest distraction, Lex resumed his search for something appropriate to wear for the evening. Tonight was his much dreaded dinner with Lionel, and Lex was not about to give the old man the vindication of showing up late.

It was still hard to believe Lionel was actually blind.

A few weeks had passed since the twisters touched down, but most people in Smallville were still reeling from the disaster. Truth be told, Lex didn't feel all that guilty about his father's situation. In _some_ ways he did, but it was complicated. After all, if he had to go through life bald, it was only fair that Lionel had to bear some kind of cross at one point or another—especially given his less than stellar track record as responsible caretaker and moral guardian.

Lex's hesitation to save Lionel that day, however, was something else entirely to wrap his brain around. When Lex had confessed to Clark that he had very nearly left him there, Clark simply said, "You saved him. That's the important part." _Was_ it, though? Try as he might, Lex could not imagine Clark doing a remotely similar thing in a million years. Then again, Lex was reasonably sure Jonathan Kent had never grabbed Clark by the skull and vowed to bury him along with anyone else who dared side with him, either. In the annals of Most Fucked-Up Father-Son Relationships, Lex knew it was a safe bet he and Lionel had the competition beat.

Switching the closet back into darkness, Lex emerged from it with his chosen attire.

Tonight's definitely going to be a long one, he decided with a world-weary sigh.

»»««

_It was 4:00, and Calvin Redgrave was in serious need of a hit. Reclining on the sofa, he considered his messy surroundings with indifference. Too bad he had no motivation for anything whatsoever at the moment. Just then the front door opened, followed by a spirited albeit unconventional greeting._

_"Hey Redgrave, you here? Hope your day was as miserable as mine."_

_Calvin looked up as the visitor entered the room, shedding his blazer and schoolbag in one fluid motion. Plopping his lanky frame onto the opposite couch, the teenager raised his eyebrows expectantly as he began loosening his tie._

_"Yeah, you could say that," Calvin replied with a neutral shrug._

_The youth grinned with satisfaction as he proceeded to work the buttons on his cuffs. "Perfect. One of the more reliable ways to guarantee a productive night."_

_Calvin smiled back. If not always_ complete_ly infectious, his friend's undying pursuit of escapism was at least refreshing. "So what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked, lacing his fingers behind his head._

_"Metropolis, of course," came the almost indignant response. "As always, I am your_ agent provocateur_."_

_"Yeah, with the all-important distinction you won't turn me over to the authorities once I give in to those criminal urges," Calvin amended with a smirk. "What's the scene look like tonight, anyway."_

_"Promising, my man, promising. That's all you need to know." The teen stuck a cigarette between his lips and began fishing around his discarded blazer for a lighter._

_Nodding slowly, Calvin gave another apathetic shrug. "Yeah man, sounds good to me; count me in."_

_Watching his friend light up, Calvin's lips suddenly quirked into a smile as though he were noticing the academic attire for the first time. "How you can wear that shit all day long with a straight face is beyond me," he mused, shaking his head._

_The boy's features puckered enigmatically as he took a deep drag off the cigarette—the effect would have been very James Dean, were it not for the conspicuous lack of hair above his corrugated brow._

_"You're telling me," he said finally, blowing out a long plume of white smoke. "Consider yourself extremely lucky."_

* * *

**END 1/?**

* * *

It is a very dangerous thing to know one's friends.

~ oscar wilde


	2. Go Time

**Summary:** Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!

I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.

**A/N:** This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).

* * *

**II: Go Time**

* * *

Looking out into the night sky, Clark watched the heat lightning that was illumining the clouds in silent, spasmodic bursts. While he knew the phenomenon was not actually related to temperature, Clark couldn't help but be reminded of how unusually warm the summer had been already—especially considering it had only just begun.

"Hey, Clark," Lana's voice rang out from below the loft.

"Oh hey, Lana, come on up."

"Think I got here in the nick of time," she said as she climbed the stairs. "Looks like it's going to storm."

"No, I think it's moving the other way, actually," Clark said, peering outside again. "Anyway it's only heat lightning, since there isn't any noise."

"Oh, really? Isn't it too early in the summer for that?"

"No, it can basically happen whenever. Maybe not in June as often, but it does."

Lana came and stood by his side as a heavy flash of peach light rippled across part of the sky. An empty threat of sorts, the otherwise formidable power was strikingly beautiful. "Well, stranger things have happened in Smallville, that's for sure," she said.

"I'll say," Clark assented lamely. Eyeing Lana protectively, he decided to venture a comment about Whitney's recent departure. "So, how are you holding up—I mean without Whitney and all."

Lana raised her eyebrows resignedly. "It's definitely strange, you know? But I really hope he finds what he wants... he deserves to be happy, whatever form that may end up taking."

Clark turned from her with a remote glance. "Yeah," was all he could think to reply.

"It's weird having Chloe gone now, too," Lana continued. "I hope that internship in Metropolis works out for her, though."

The mention of Chloe filled Clark with an unexpected sense of melancholy as he thought of how abruptly things had ended between the two of them—if anything had even had the chance to _begin_, that is.

"Well, you're just full of well wishes tonight," he still managed to observe with a smile.

"Yeah, I don't know... I guess change is good, right?" Lana suddenly regarded Clark closely. "Clark, I still don't know why you won't tell me what happened."

"About what?" he asked.

"About the day the tornadoes hit—about how you found me?"

Clark averted his eyes briefly before speaking. "Lana, we've been through this..."

"No, Clark, actually we haven't—" Lana abruptly stopped herself. "It's OK, I didn't come here to pick a fight with you," she backpedaled. "I mean if you really won't say, I guess I can't make you."

"Lana." Knowing full well what she would see, Lana looked up into Clark's solemn face, his kicked-puppy eyes thrust into high gear.

"Look, I would never intentionally keep anything from you," he assured her earnestly. "All I know is that a lot of crazy things happened that day, but luckily you came out of it safe somehow... and that's the important thing."

Lana gave a plaintive smile in spite of the familiar, nagging questions that lingered in one of the more restless corners of her mind. "I know," she replied simply. "I'm lucky to have you, Clark."

»»««

_"Just one before we get there," Lex told Calvin in the back of the limousine transporting them to Metropolis. "Then we'll be set for the night."_

_Calvin shook his head in amused wonder, not about to turn down the most appealing start to a weekend he could possibly imagine. "All right, man, whatever you say."_

_It really was funny he was even friends with somebody like Lex to begin with, Calvin reflected. All of his friends resented it, he could tell—especially now that he spent most of his free time with the kid anymore. He knew it all came down to envy, though; they were just jealous he could actually get in places with Lex and score whatever he wanted_ when_ever he wanted. With odds like those, who needed friends who rarely delivered on anything?_

_Calvin smiled to himself as he watched Lex line up the works like a seasoned pro. Rich freak or not, this kid was the real deal._

_Ironically enough, Lex wasn't even supposed to leave school on the weekends, but because his father was some kind of heavy hitter it was something that was overlooked. Calvin didn't really know much about Lex, in all_ _honesty—only_ _that he enjoyed a less than harmonious relationship with his dad and that his mother had just died a few years ago. And though Calvin had never actually believed in the rich and miserable lifestyle until he saw one firsthand, he still didn't pretend to understand Lex now—he was just glad they were able to have a good time in each other's company. Perhaps he should expect more from a friend, but in truth Calvin had been let down by far too many people far too many times to have any grand delusions or high expectations. It was a good enough definition of friendship to him._

_Producing a small package from his pocket, Lex began tapping out its brownish-white contents into a spoon. He carefully sucked a measured amount of water into the syringe he had set aside and emptied it onto the waiting powder. Holding his lighter underneath the spoon, Lex delicately stirred the concoction with the tip of the needle, then placed a cotton ball directly onto the solution and inserted the needle into it, watching the liquid as it filled the chamber._

_"Go time," he told Calvin with a grin. _

_"Do it up, man; I'll go next," said Calvin._

_Lex rolled up his sleeve and fastened his belt around his arm, holding it fast with his teeth as he tapped the exposed skin for a prominent vein. Shooting Calvin a brief glance, Lex held the needle over the point of entry and pressed the plunger into his skin, waiting a beat before completely drawing the blood back into the chamber. Letting the belt go slack, Lex fired everything into his vein at once, the heroin instantly racing through his system to his brain._

_Calvin watched as Lex closed his eyes and laid his head back against the seat, his mouth falling open in silent euphoria. Searching Lex's face restlessly, Calvin couldn't wait any longer. "So how is it, man—good stuff?" _

_Lex did not respond right away but eventually made a lethargic gesture towards the gear that he had set up for Calvin. "Guess you're just going to have to find out for yourself," he said._

_Calvin rolled up his sleeve and hovered over the impending rush like a child over a candy counter._

_He and Lex might come from different worlds, but none of it mattered on nights like these._

»»««

A day had passed since his dinner with Lionel, and yet Lex was still spending as much time away from the mansion as possible. Dropping by the Talon about an hour to closing time, Lex settled into a corner table with the newspaper he hadn't the chance to read yet that day.

"Hi, Lex," Lana greeted, stopping over from another table. "Can I get you anything?"

"Actually, yes," he replied, thinking a moment. "One of those chai tea lattes would be sublime."

Lana smiled but Lex thought he saw a bit of an eye roll. "Coming right up," she promised.

Somebody's gotta get these kids used to working, Lex thought with a smirk as he began snapping the paper into a more manageable size.

After a short wait, Lana returned with the order. Pulling the mug towards him, Lex looked up in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Miss Lang; I'll let you know if I need anything else."

"All right, Lex, you know where to find me," Lana replied with another affected smile.

Lex grasped the handle and took a deep sip, savoring the spicy hotness in spite of the considerable warmth outside. Not long after he had turned back to the paper, a man who was on his way out the door suddenly bumped into the back of Lex's chair as he passed, hovering awkwardly for a moment as he tried to right himself.

"I'm sorry; excuse me," he said, patting Lex's shoulder, but when Lex looked up the man was already out the door.

Lex froze in his seat. His eyes automatically went to the drink in front of him, as if aware something underhanded had just occurred and he'd missed it. Surveying the non-reactions from the proximate customers, however, Lex decided he was just being paranoid, and he gave his head the slightest of shakes as he took another sip from the cup.

He folded back the next section of the paper and glanced briefly over its rattling edges to see Clark approaching the counter. Lex continued reading while Clark greeted Lana, knowing his friend would spot him eventually. Of the few _favorable_ outcomes the past couple of weeks had seen, the fresh slate Lex had apparently been granted with the Kents was one of the more promising developments. The whole fiasco with Nixon had just been so overwhelming, and it was nice to know that there was at least one major problem off his back.

Sure enough, Clark momentarily approached Lex's table and stopped. "Hey Lex," he said cheerily over the top of the paper.

"Hey there yourself," Lex replied. "How are things on the farm these days?"

"Settling down, I guess you could say. What about at the mansion?"

Lex's smile was cryptic. "I don't think things will ever be 'settled' there, Clark. It's not part of the place's original design, know what I mean?"

Clark raised his eyebrows awkwardly. "Yeah, well, if you need anything..."

"I know who to call," Lex finished matter-of-factly, raising the mug to his lips as he looked up at Clark.

Clark gave an indulgent grin. "All right, good enough. I think I'm gonna go for now; I'll see you around, though."

"See ya, Clark."

Not twenty minutes had passed when Lex noticed the paper in his hands was becoming increasingly hard to read. Why are the words blurring so easily? he wondered. He then realized that it wasn't quite his vision that needed help—it was the fact that he could barely keep his eyes open.

Guess lack of sleep is finally catching up with me, Lex mused as he folded up the paper. He then caught sight of Lana across the Talon looking characteristically preoccupied with something or other. Downing the rest of his latte, Lex rose and began heading in her direction, but when he went to walk he found himself struggling to approximate a normal gait. Undeterred but decidedly more worried, Lex made it to the counter, where he stopped to wait for Lana.

"A little understaffed tonight, I presume?" he asked as she busily gathered the abandoned cups and saucers on the countertop. It was only then that Lex noticed the place had almost entirely emptied out.

"Oh, you know how it goes," she said, straightening up and giving him a flustered smile. "Just trying to get out of here on time."

Lex returned the smile, but as Lana stopped and looked at him, she noticed his expression held a strange yet discernible vacancy.

"Is something the matter, Lex?" she said.

"What?"

"You just look—tired or something, I don't know."

"No, I'm fine. So, how are the Talon's figures for tonight?"

Lana turned to assemble the receipts she had been collecting on the back counter. "Well I haven't exactly tallied it all up yet," she said with her back to him, "but I think it's safe to say we did pretty well..."

Lex closed his eyes wearily, unable to fight this intense feeling of lethargy any longer. As Lana continued to gather the night's receipts, Lex slowly spun himself around to scan the room. With a flood of heartsick dismay, he discovered the place _was_, in fact, entirely devoid of customers—save for one. The man who had bumped into him maybe half an hour ago was there sitting at a table, patiently sipping his drink and flipping through a paper.

Just like me, Lex thought bleakly, and the realization of what had transpired came crashing down so forcefully that Lex literally cringed.

Lana turned in time just to see his expression as Lex, in turn, was hunching back over the counter himself.

"Lex, what is it?"

Even in his state, Lex was sure the man behind him was surmising his every move, and that anything either he or Lana said or did was being intensely scrutinized.

Where _is_ that goddamn Clark when you need him? he found himself wondering listlessly.

Lex desperately wanted to tell Lana to get help; he wanted to whisper to her that he was about to be forcibly removed by that man sitting at yonder table, and that Lana should escape now and hide outside so she could at least gather some clues as to where he would be taken. But Lex had neither the luxury of time nor the possession of speaking faculties at this point to say any of that; he knew what had to be done.

"Lana," he whispered gravely, looking into what he decided must be her eyes as she lowered her face closer to his—"get the hell out of here."

* * *

**END 2/?**

* * *

Please content me, steal me from this priss-teen life  
Oh so gently, everyone feels pain this time

Into the car, baby bleed the gas  
Fast as fast, never turning back  
Oh yeah, not scared of that  
The past has passed and we cannot take it back

They want to know  
If we could get away  
Yeah, we backed it up  
And made our great escape  
When the dust will settle  
And they discover  
The furthest exodus getting somewhere  
While the messengers  
Get the message in  
Try to capture us  
We've done nothing wrong

~ guster


	3. Enveloped

**Summary:** Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!

I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.

**A/N:** This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).

* * *

**III: Enveloped**

* * *

Lana stared at Lex, her initially curious expression now one of obvious fright. "Lex—"

She jumped as the man behind them stood suddenly from his table, the movement sending his chair shuddering noisily along the floor.

"Get out of here, Lana," Lex could only repeat, swiftly losing the battle to keep his eyes open as he gripped the counter for support.

Lana looked in horror from Lex's clearly succumbing figure to the man who was headed straight for them. "Lex!" she whispered frantically. "Lex, what's going on?"

Unable to reply, Lex finally delivered on his slow descent to the floor, collapsing right in front of her.

Lana glanced up at the approaching stranger and rushed around the counter, kneeling next to Lex and looking helplessly into his tired, confused expression.

"Lex? Lex, look at me, come on, stay with me," she pleaded desperately. It was a ridiculous thing to say and Lana knew it, but at the same time she didn't know what else to do. Looking up, she found the man right upon her and scrambled backwards in retreat.

The aggressor stopped and raised a cautionary finger. "Don't move," he warned. While tall and threatening, the man was in fact very thin—perhaps once attractive were it not for his exceedingly gaunt features. He must have actually been about Lex's age, upon closer inspection, but it was hard to tell for sure. Lana struggled to hold his gaze as he regarded her with faded, haunted eyes.

"What is this, what do you want?" she asked anxiously.

"Oh, I'm really just here to get something I've been owed for a few years now," the man answered vaguely.

Lana shifted her weight as he looked down at Lex, regarding him with a small and scornful smile. "How 'bout it, Lex? Sound fair?"

At the lack of response, the man turned back to Lana. "I really should apologize for him—see he used to love the whole drug-induced bliss thing once upon a time, but I'm starting to see things may have changed."

Lana frowned nervously, still in denial that any of this was actually happening.

"You're a little young for Lex, aren't you?" the man suddenly asked. "Not that it surprises me he'd be going after high school girls... at least he's got good taste, in any event," he added, eyeing her cheaply.

Lana tried to ignore this enigmatic defamation of Lex's character, the second to be uttered by the stranger in as many breaths. "I'm not seeing Lex; he's my boss," she retorted.

The man appeared amused by this. "Yeah... I'll bet he is."

"Look, I don't know what it is you want exactly but I think you should leave," Lana began to ramble, unable to take the strain of maintaining a conversation with this person any longer. "My boyfriend's coming to pick me up any minute, so if you leave right now I promise I won't say anything about this."

The bit about Whitney being on his way was of course a lie and Lana wasn't sure if her delivery made that blatantly apparent or not—even if the man did believe her, though, she was reasonably sure he would not accept this ludicrous offer.

True enough, the man looked at her almost sympathetically. "Oh, as you might have guessed already, you're not going anywhere." He produced a pistol from within his jacket and pointed it at her. "You're coming with me. With _us_, that is."

Lana bit her lower lip, her impossible lack of options beginning to sink in.

"Now help me move him."

»»««

_The Equinox was obviously packed as Calvin and Lex approached the building, bypassing the long line of people waiting admittance. One of the bouncers moved the velvet rope for them upon seeing Lex, but another man behind him suddenly held up his hand._

_"Whoa, whoa, these kids all right to go in?"_

_Calvin shot a look at Lex, whose intelligent eyes were already scrutinizing the employee's face._

_"You _do_ want our money this evening, don't you?" Lex challenged smoothly. It never ceased to amaze Calvin how his friend could retain such brash self-assurance, even when under the influence of something like heroin._

_"It's all right, man, just let 'em through," said the first bouncer._

_Together, Calvin and Lex passed the two men into the club and were soon enveloped by an overwhelming scene of neon light, artificial fog, and hordes of people._

_"OK Redgrave, how 'bout a drink?" Lex yelled over the thumping music._

_Calvin gave an amused sort of frown. "I think I'm good for now, amigo. Still feelin' the hit, ya know?"_

_Lex raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the place. "Yeah, I hear that," he said noncommittally. "I'm gonna go fetch one anyway, OK? Be right back."_

_Calvin nodded and watched Lex approach one of the sleek bars lit from below with aqua light. He gazed around at his surroundings, the techno music and overall chaos of the atmosphere sending his senses into overdrive. The hook from a recent Blur song_ _suddenly came to mind: "_The boredom of the sober week / The weekend's here / Hip hip, hooray / To make the blues just go away_..." Those boys from __England__ were right on the fucking money: at the end of any week, it was good to feel alive._

_He had no idea how long he had actually been standing there when a rather intense-looking fellow about his age was suddenly and inexplicably right in front of him. "Hey," the guy said in a somewhat impatient tone, as if he'd been shouting it for some time._

_"Hmm?" _

_"You just came in here with Lex Luthor, is that right?" _

_"Oh, umm... yeah. Yes, I did."_

_"Unfortunately he isn't really welcome here," the stranger said. "So if I were you, I'd get the fuck out of here fast."_

_Calvin frowned. "Hey man, we don't want any trouble..."_

_"Well _you_ may not, but your pal sure does," the man replied. "He knows this is my hangout, and for your information that's my scag you appear to be high on at the moment."_

_"Oh—what, you gave it to him? I don't understand."_

_"Not personally, no, but the timing is interesting seeing as I just noticed some of my stash missing the other day. And _nothing_ of mine goes to Lex. Or his friends."_

_Calvin was starting to find this conversation exceedingly amusing, but he knew he could not let this guy know that under any circumstances. "Look, man, we're not gonna bother you, OK? I'll go find Lex and we'll split, all right?"_

_"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Just make sure he doesn't so much as cross my path on the way out, understand?"_

_Giving a nonsensical nod, Calvin turned to find Lex. He wondered where Lex could have already disappeared to, but as he began dazedly scouring the place through the clusters of people and fog, it quickly became apparent how even a sober person could get lost in a place like this. He finally stumbled into what appeared to be a VIP room and spotted Lex on one of the couches with a striking young woman. Calvin smirked in approval at the impressive progress Lex was making, his tongue leisurely but deftly exploring the inside of the girl's mouth while his left hand gently cupped her breast through the material of her dress. As Lex moved to plant kisses along her exposed neckline, the girl opened her mouth in obvious pleasure._

___Calvin began to approach from across the room, enjoying the free show but feeling decidedly out of place as he weaved around the clusters of low, white leather cushions and tea light candle-laden tables. Finally arriving in front of them, Calvin scratched at his head in embarrassment as he summoned the courage to interrupt the two._

_"Hey, I hate to do this man, but we gotta jet."_

_Lex half turned with a fairly tempered look of irritation._

_"I know, it sucks, but just trust me on this one."_

_Pulling himself away, Lex felt the girl hold onto his lower lip a moment longer as she reluctantly let him withdraw. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Just stay here, OK?"_

_Calvin waited and received his second resentful glare as the girl watched Lex stand and approach him. _

_"What's this about?" Lex asked evenly as they moved away. "Better be good, my friend."_

_"Some guy out there—I don't know, he came up to me and from what I gathered he's got some kind of beef with you. Basically he said he doesn't want to see either of us around here tonight."_

_"Did you get a name?"_

_"No, I didn't. He was maybe 5'11"... blondish hair..."_

_"Was he alone or with people."_

_"I don't know—I mean he approached me alone but there could have been others with him in the background somewhere, I have no idea."_

_Lex shook his head. "Jesus, Redgrave, don't ever become a cop—you'd fail that walk-into-a-room test with flying colors."_

_"Look, I still think we should get out of this place, though. For real."_

_"Absolutely not," came Lex's haughty reply. "Nobody's gonna tell me where I can and cannot go. If we see him, don't worry—I got it."_

»»««

Lana looked apprehensively at her abductor in the rearview mirror from the car's backseat. Upon leaving the Talon, the man had made her help him get Lex's limp body into the seat beside her and then had promptly tied each of them up separately, hands behind their backs. The man's eyes suddenly met hers.

"Relax, sweetheart—if I wanted to have my way with you, I would have slipped _you_ the GHB, not Sleeping Beauty over there."

Lana looked over at Lex. "How long will the effects from that last?" she asked, realizing her question was probably more for her sake than for his.

"Mmm, should be anywhere from three to six hours, from what I understand."

Lana made an effort to suppress any kind of reaction, as it was certainly not what she wanted to hear. She wouldn't last that long on her own against this stranger—not in a million years...

"Ironic, though, like I said before—the Lex of yesteryear woulda killed for that kind of side effect, you know? That kind of mental vacation, if you will."

Sighing, Lana knew if there was any chance for them, she had to start making a connection to this man, difficult as that would be. At the very least Lex was going to need something to work with when he finally woke up—if they ever got a chance to speak alone, that is.

"So you knew each other very well when you were younger?" she attempted casually.

The driver glanced at her in his mirror again. "Well, it's good to see Lex values sharp insight when it comes to his employees," he deadpanned. "Yes—Lex and I actually used to be great friends a lifetime ago in Metropolis. But he never quite held up his end of the deal so as far as chums go. I mean that's always a risk you take on once something like drugs enters the picture, but at the time I thought maybe Lex was different."

"I never knew he did drugs," Lana reflected quietly.

"I take it Lex doesn't talk much about his less than admirable past, then?"

Lana didn't say anything, and after a few moments the man spoke again. Not that she had much experience with kidnappers, but it did seem a bit odd for this one to be quite so garrulous...

"It was weird, you know? I mean of all the people I knew, Lex was the only one who seemed to manage walking away from it so easily. It was like he closed the book on it and never looked back. To this day, I have no idea how he did it."

Overwhelmed by the turn this night had taken, Lana couldn't help but ask herself the same thing. Looking out the window, she wondered for the hundredth time where they were actually going. "What are you going to do with us?" she asked finally.

"Just sit back and enjoy the ride for now," the man muttered softly, looking straight out at the road ahead of them.

* * *

**END 3/?**

* * *

Educated the expensive way  
He knows his Claret from his Beaujolais  
I think he'd like to have been Ronnie Kray  
But then Nature didn't make him that way

He thinks his educated airs, those family shares  
Will protect him, that we'll respect him  
He moves in circles of friends  
Who just pretend that they like him  
He does the same to them  
And when you put it all together  
There's the model of a charmless man

~ blur


	4. Familiar and Unwelcome

**Summary:** Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!

I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.

**A/N:** This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).

* * *

**IV: Familiar and Unwelcome**

* * *

The summer bugs rattled noisily from their leafy darkness as Clark idly observed the night outside through his telescope. Panning over to Lana's house, he noticed that she had not returned from her shift at the Talon yet. While it did make him feel just a bit overprotective (assuming he hadn't already ventured into legitimate stalker territory), Clark also couldn't shake the unease that came from double-checking the time on his watch. It didn't take him long to reason that an evening run would give him some exercise as well as some peace of mind.

Arriving at the Talon, Clark found Lex's blue BMW Roadster out front and all of the lights still on inside. Giving the front door a push, he was greeted by a soft acoustic track by Coldplay, and nothing else. He surveyed the otherwise silent surroundings in confusion, thinking Lana must be in the back or out of sight somewhere.

"Lana?"

Clark walked toward the main counter and saw a stack of receipts lying untouched on the countertop. Peering into the back room, he still could find no indication of activity anywhere.

"Lana? Lex?" he called out, making his way back to the front again. It was obvious that the place had been in the middle of closing up—chairs were stacked on some of the outer tables, and most of the dishes were already put away.

Passing one table, however, Clark came upon a folded newspaper. The memory of Lex looking up at him from behind it, along with a ceramic mug that was nowhere to be seen, suddenly made Clark realize it was the same table he had seen Lex at earlier that night. His eyes went back to the counter as if to find someone there who could answer him, and with a mounting sense of panic he rushed back outside.

Turning to look up and down Main Street, Clark could see nothing out of the ordinary. It was a typical late summer evening in Smallville, which meant hardly anyone was around. He rushed back to the alley behind the Talon but found no obvious signs of trouble there, either. He went back inside once more and glanced around in desperation, the voice of Chris Martin singing wistfully over the speakers: _"In a bulletproof vest, with all the windows all closed / I'll be doing my best, I'll see you soon / In a telescope lens and when all you want is friends / I'll see you soon..."_

»»««

Lana stared at the mug her kidnapper had placed on the table across the room—perhaps the only piece of hard evidence linking him to the scene at the Talon. Having just arrived at their apparent destination, Lana silently assessed the small and rather dingy house. Despite its remote surroundings, Lana decided they must have been on the outskirts of Metropolis, given the distance traveled. Once inside, the kidnapper had made sure Lana's hands were still tightly secured behind her back and then had her sit her against one of the walls.

"I didn't think I was going to need more than one set of handcuffs," he told her with a chuckle. "I'll fix that soon enough, but you just sit tight for now and don't try anything, capeesh?"

Lana looked worriedly at Lex's body across the floor as the man straightened and moved away from her.

"You may actually be in luck in terms of how long Lex leaves you to fend for yourself," he was saying as he positioned Lex against the same wall several feet away. "Little known fact, but Lex is a bit of an all-star when it comes to getting over any kind of hangover, side effect, all those lovely things. I always hated him for it," he added with an almost nostalgic smile.

Lana watched as the man roughly took Lex's limp arms and fastened his wrists into some handcuffs that were attached to the radiator. Lex looked so completely out of it that the image was alternately funny and disconcerting—on the one hand he looked so peacefully asleep, but on the other he looked disturbingly lifeless.

"So what's your name, anyway?" the man asked abruptly.

"Lana," she replied, hoping the detail would add yet another human dimension that might work in her favor.

"Yeah? Can't say I met a 'Lana' before."

"I don't understand why you need me here," she suddenly ventured. "You're going to be in enough trouble as it is just kidnapping Lex..."

"Well that's just it—" he responded. "You are here to keep both me and Lex honest. As long as I get what I want out of this little scenario, there should be no problem. I mean I can only imagine what your boyfriend's reaction would be if he knew Lex was the reason for something terrible happening to you."

At no response from Lana, the man turned back to Lex's peaceful face and shook his head from side to side. "You picked the wrong guy to trust, little lady, I can tell you that."

Lana looked at Lex and was torn between the same feelings of concern and exasperation she had been struggling with ever since the interminable car ride from Smallville.

The man stopped and looked at her with a sickly smile. "I mean I guess the point is pretty glaringly obvious by now, but really it's only a matter of time before a person's association with Lex Luthor bites them in the ass. I'm just surprised it took something like this for it to finally occur to you."

While Lana could point to several telltale Luthoresque experiences that had indeed left their mark on her subconscious, she chose to feign ignorance. "I don't understand," she said flatly.

"There's two kinds of people in this world, Lana: Predators, and Prey. And Lex is a Predator. Always has been, always will be."

Lana frowned uneasily. "And let me guess, I belong to the 'Prey' category."

"Well, if I had to pin you as one or the other I would say so, at least for right now, anyway. You do seem like you have _some _fight in you, though, I definitely give you that."

The defensive reaction that overcame Lana surprised her—if anything, she should be agreeing with every word that came out of this guy's mouth. Somehow she heard herself daring to challenge his point anyway.

"You realize your analogy's missing one important thing," she told him. "The categories of Predator and Prey aren't mutually exclusive—when it comes to animals, anyway, almost all of them are both."

Her abductor appeared genuinely impressed. "Why, you're absolutely right, Miss Goodall. When it comes to people, though, I still think one or the other dominates. Wouldn't you agree?"

»»««

_Lex went on to buy another drink. And another. Calvin, in the meantime, was just trying to keep up with the relaxed yet confident stride, typical of so many of Lex's mannerisms. He glanced around agitatedly as he and Lex moved through the chaotic crowd, dreading the moment they entered a certain cheerless line of vision. Inwardly he wondered whether Lex was genuinely enjoying the club's scene or whether he was just walking around to show Calvin he could—that he refused to be intimidated. It was cool and ballsy in theory and all, but Calvin was not sure just how far he was willing to go to aid his friend in making some self-righteous stand._

_They were nearing the central bar again when a strong hand reached out and clamped down on his shoulder. Calvin turned. _

_"I thought I made myself pretty goddamned clear before," the familiar and unwelcome face snarled, looking at Lex who had now stopped beside Calvin. "I'll make it easy for you, though—Luthor, this is where you and your little hard-of-hearing friend here exit the premises." _

_Calvin looked at Lex, who was staring at the intimidator impassively. "Don't think so, Merrill," Lex replied. "Thanks for the invitation, though." _

_"I mean it, Luthor—I don't know what you're trying to pull here exactly but it is not in your best interest, believe me. Now get the fuck out of here or be taken out." _

_Lex regarded the four guys who had since come up behind Merrill, his expression unchanged. "I'm not going anywhere," he said simply. "If you'd like to settle this outside, though, I'd be all for it." _

_After a moment's consideration, Merrill smiled menacingly. "Fine. It would be our pleasure." He tilted his head to the thugs behind him. "Wouldn't it, boys?"_

_Calvin looked at Lex again, who was still not meeting his eyes. Was he delirious? How the fuck were they supposed to overcome five-on-two odds? And still _high_, no less? _

_None of that seemed to matter, somehow, as Calvin found himself willingly following Lex and the rest of the people who were about to formally introduce their asses to the pavement._

_"I know just the place," Merrill was saying as they entered the suddenly foggy night along Metropolis' shining streets. "No cops around to break it up—at least not in time, anyway." _

_Feeling like he was going to legitimately hurl, Calvin had to make one last attempt. "Look, guys—" _

_"Shut it, Calvin," Lex muttered as they continued on. _

_When they came upon a particularly dark and deserted alley Merrill stopped, raising his hand. "All right, look, I'm going to cut you two a break you really don't deserve and make the odds a bit more manageable." He turned to one of the boys next to him and cocked his head, at which the youth nodded in understanding and took off in the same direction. Calvin glanced at Lex expecting to see some measure of relief but instead saw his friend eying the exchange suspiciously. _

_Suddenly two of Merrill's remaining crew grabbed Calvin's arms and immobilized him, while Merrill and the other boy turned towards Lex. _

_"Let me go!" Calvin screamed impotently, watching as Lex sized up his two advancing aggressors. Expecting to see Lex go down immediately, Calvin was shocked to see quite the opposite happen. _

_As Merrill and his cohort initiated contact, Lex fought against the two like a born street fighter, easily dodging blows while throwing his own punches with a reckless intensity that Calvin did not recognize. Decidedly more familiar was the deliberate and ruthless focus that was visible in Lex's eyes even from where Calvin stood—and yet this, too, was somewhat startling to witness, simply given the unfamiliar context of the situation. _

_Before long, however, a blow connected with Lex's face so hard it knocked him off balance, and Merrill and his friend seized upon the unexpected opportunity without hesitation. _

_"Lex!" Calvin yelled as the two descended upon him, raining blows upon Lex's crouching figure. Calvin could only strain futilely against the bodies holding him back, watching helplessly as Lex was swiftly overpowered. Merrill used all of his weight to pin Lex to the ground, then took Lex's face and forcefully scraped it against the street's surface. Lex screamed as the gravel raked across his cheek, and Merrill laughed and delivered another strike to his back. When it was obvious Lex was not getting up anytime soon, Merrill stopped and loomed over him with the other boy. _

_"Look up, Lex," he said finally. "We have a surprise for you," and he pointed down the alley to where two distant pinpoints of light pierced the damp night air. _

_Realizing the trap Merrill had set, Calvin's eyes darted between the three and the headlights and began to struggle vigorously. "Jesus, let me go! What the hell do you think you're doing?" _

_Breathing hard, Lex peered slowly around Merrill's leg and saw the car for himself. As he stared at it, he thought he saw the lights begin to move. Was it just his imagination? No... the longer he looked, the more apparent it was that the car was slowly but steadily headed straight for him. _

_"Get the fuck off of me!" Calvin was screaming from across the way, and Lex looked up at Merrill, who at the moment was eyeing the approaching car himself. The sound of the impending tires against the slick road was enough incentive for Lex, and he kicked out at his aggressors as hard as he could. _

_The moment took both by surprise, and Merrill's feet went out from under him, falling hard and fast to the pavement beside Lex. Calvin looked in horror at the speeding lights getting bigger by the moment and at the tangle of bodies lying in its path. Merrill's friend had not actually fallen himself, but instead of going for Lex he was trying to help Merrill up. Lex took the moment to scramble to his feet and grab the unsuspecting boy from behind, spinning him out against some nearby trashcans. Calvin wondered why Merrill had not gotten up on his own and then saw the dark blood matting the blond hair at the back of his head. _

_Lex looked up at the car drawing near and suddenly one of the two restraining Calvin released his hold and jumped across Merrill's fallen body to attack Lex himself. With both pairs struggling on either side of the alley, nobody noticed the car was already upon them until it was too late—nobody except Merrill, who painfully lifted his head at the sound of the screeching brakes only to meet his death with horror-filled eyes. _

»»««

Even though Lex had been unconscious for the several hours it took to get to their location, the kidnapper's prediction concerning his relatively quick recovery time turned out to be more accurate than not.

"Well, look who's decided to join us," he murmured, making Lana turn towards Lex herself.

She watched as Lex unsteadily took in his surroundings; when his bleary eyes met hers a look of apparent guilt wrinkled his brow. In realization he turned to look up at his abductor and pulled weakly at his hand restraints under the man's gaze.

"Hello, Lex."

Lex's voice was distant. "Hello, Calvin."

"Glad to see you're among the alive and conscious again, though you have looked better, I must say. Incidentally you might wanna watch out; from what I hear that GHB stuff can get addictive if you're not careful. Oh—but that sort of thing doesn't get in the way of Lex Luthor, I forgot."

"Well I'll take it under advisement anyway, next time I raise one of those tricky caffeinated beverages," Lex managed to mumble sarcastically.

Calvin smiled and began pacing the floor. "I've been filling in your little employee here on some of the more juicy tidbits to your heavily guarded dossier. I think she was quite shocked by it, in all honesty... not that she shouldn't be, of course. It's always difficult to learn something you never knew about somebody you thought you did."

Lex raised his eyebrows musingly. "It certainly is," he intoned.

"You know you weren't exactly hard to find, I have to thank you for that. I mean those flashy cars are just a tad conspicuous in the middle of a town like Smallville, for future reference."

"Duly noted. So where are we now, one of the glorious outposts of Metropolis?"

"Of course, my friend, where else?"

Lex closed his eyes tiredly, as though signaling he was not the least bit interested in engaging in any sort of witty repartee. "What the hell is it you _want_ exactly, Calvin—at least let my friend go, she's got nothing do with whatever your little agenda may be."

"I agree, but unfortunately we all have to take responsibility for our actions, even if that means hurting innocent people in the process. Which seems to happen around you all too often, I might add."

Lex shook his head and met Calvin's gaze again. "I know one thing, at least: if you honestly think you're going to see any kind of gain from this madcap plan of yours, then you really have lost your fucking mind."

Lana looked from Lex to Calvin with wide eyes—apparently Lex was well on his way himself, to be speaking so bluntly to the man who basically held their lives in his hands.

If Calvin was at all enraged, he managed to hide it well. "Oh, I _will_ see something out of this, Lex, and for once you're going to know the true meaning of 'just deserts.'" He looked at the two of them and suddenly the threat in his voice lifted. "I have to go take care of something for now; in the meantime you two just make yourselves at home."

He exited the room and Lana looked over at Lex nervously. "All right Lex, so who is this guy?"

Lex sighed and stared ahead. "His name's Calvin Redgrave; we knew each other back in Metropolis." Suddenly remembering Calvin's words, Lex turned to face her. "What exactly did he tell you while I was out?" he asked.

"Basically that the two of you used to do drugs in Metropolis all the time together—that it was your little bond."

Lex looked down and gave an enigmatic smile. "Yeah... well, unfortunately Calvo's right on that count," he said finally.

"I don't understand how you could do something like that."

"Like what, drugs?"

"Yes, like drugs. It's just... so..."

"Lana, I know you dwell in the microcosm that is Smallville, but believe it or not there's a whole other world just outside the town limits. I'm not saying that I'm proud of it or anything, but that kind of stuff was just part of who I was back then—who I used to be, anyway."

Lana's brow furrowed slightly at the initial hint of condescension. "Well I admit, I don't know that much about you, and I don't assume you had an easy childhood—but I don't know, I guess you just seem like you'd be smarter than that."

He gave a slight shrug, looking off again. "I don't know, what can I tell you."

A heavy silence settled between the two of them, and Lex took the opportunity to try to focus his spinning head and collect his thoughts. At the sound of a muffled yet unmistakable sniff, Lex looked over in dismay to see a single tear rolling down one of Lana's cheeks. "It's all right," he attempted gently.

"Actually it's not all right, Lex, but don't worry about it," Lana replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground as she spoke.

Fairly stung, Lex stared at her a moment before turning away. A dark flash of annoyance suddenly overcame him as he realized the familiarity of the situation—the memory of Lana's behavior just moments after he received that lovely personal delivery of Kasitch's hand during the whole Club Zero fiasco came screaming back in Technicolor. He remembered because it was right around the time the Talon was supposed to open, and the way Lana was acting that night any random bystander would have thought _she_ had been sent the damn thing. Lex had tried to apologize to her then, but all she could say in reply was something about being "infamous before we even open the doors." Oh, yeah—like she could have "opened the doors" without his bit of help. Like he had planned the whole ordeal from the start, just so he could screw with her little Lana-centric universe. Forget the fact that somebody was terrorizing him with severed body parts, you know... nothing major.

Almost amused by the absurdity of it all, Lex tried to push away these angry ruminations. Warranted or not, the last thing he should be feeling at this moment was any kind of bitterness or resentment towards the girl he had to focus on protecting from here on out. He knew the only person who could benefit from such a rift between them was Calvin, and Lex was not about to give his old buddy the satisfaction of such a score.

* * *

**END 4/?**

* * *

Reading the front page made me feel a lot better. Against that heinous background, my crimes were pale and meaningless. I was a relatively respectable citizen—a multiple felon, perhaps, but certainly not dangerous. And when the Great Scorer came to write against my name, that would surely make a difference.

~ hunter s. thompson, fear and loathing in las vegas


	5. Conviction

**Summary:** Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!

I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.

**A/N:** This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).

* * *

**V: Conviction**

* * *

Redgrave never was the sharpest knife in the drawer, Lex reflected as more minutes passed in the house unsupervised. It then occurred to him that perhaps Calvin had been wise enough to invest in some kind of surveillance, so it was probably equally shrewd to watch what was said aloud. No matter what, a game plan was definitely in order.

Feeling beads of sweat beginning to course down his head, Lex brushed up against the inside of his arm. He still felt rather disoriented and nauseous from the drugs, but hopefully that would pass soon. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lana similarly attempting to wipe her cheek on her shoulder.

"I really don't want you to worry," Lex ventured softly at last. "I know it seems pretty bleak right about now, but you can't overestimate the situation at hand."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Lana—Calvin obviously didn't plan this one out very well. I mean it's only him, and the chances of getting sloppy or making a mistake are infinitely higher without any outside help. We have the odds-on advantage here."

"Yeah, and we can really do a lot in our current state," Lana replied.

"We'll figure something out, OK? Just trust me."

Lana's face abruptly became a profile. "Yeah, a lot of good that's done."

Lex gave a short exhalation as though amused and looked away himself. "Well, maybe if you had _run_ like I told you to..." he murmured.

Unable to tell whether he was being facetious or not, Lana turned the conversation elsewhere. "So what does Calvin want from you, exactly?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but I guess you could say his main objective is to settle an old score."

"Why, what did you do to him?"

"I don't think that's really any of your business right now, Lana, all right?"

"Well, considering I might end up dying because of it, I'd say it is."

Lex shot her a look. "Maybe you could bring your wonderfully melodramatic leanings down a notch," he suggested. "I mean I know this isn't exactly the most ideal set of circumstances, but if one of us is going to get out of here alive, it's you."

Rendered powerless under his cold stare, Lana turned her attention to the ground. "Wow, Lex, thanks for that rosy forecast."

"A little perspective," Lex said, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall. "That's all I'm asking."

Lana fell silent, still annoyed at the rebuke and yet haunted by its inescapably grim implications. Getting out of here at the cost of Lex's life was not a burden she was quite willing to bear. How had this day, which had started out like any other, spiraled so completely out of control?

The sudden sound of footsteps on the stairs allowed little time for contemplation. Looking up, Lana saw Calvin approaching with a big roll of industrial tape in hand, and she glanced over at Lex apprehensively.

"No time to get you your own shiny pair of handcuffs," Calvin informed her, "so we'll just have to tie your little bitty ankles together. That should do quite nicely."

Lex watched as he began wrapping the tape around and frowned like a jaded parent observing a wayward child. "Calvin, in all seriousness—what are we doing here? I'll help you out, OK, whatever you need. I think we both know this isn't exactly the best way of going about solving your life's problems."

Calvin ran a hand through his chestnut hair as he rose from his handiwork and spoke as though he hadn't heard Lex at all. "There was this great book that came out right around the time we were a part of the whole Metropolis scene," he recalled. "It might have been a year or so earlier actually, but I know it was around then... Trainspotting, ever hear of it?"

Lex grudgingly yielded the change in topic. "Yes, I have. Never read it, though."

"Yeah, well that doesn't surprise me; it's not exactly on any of the boarding school reading lists. Offensive subject matter, even more offensive sentence structure, know what I mean?" He sniffed derisively while Lex couldn't have looked more bored.

"Anyway, looking back it's just amazing," Calvin went on. "There are some parts of that book that could describe our own situation to a T."

"Oh yeah, and how's that."

"Well there's several themes really, but I guess the one about your so-called best mates leaving you high and dry in the end is the one that stands out in my mind."

Lex pursed his lips and nodded in consideration. "Funny," he said, raising his eyes back to Calvin, "I seem to remember a kid named Redgrave demonstrating that very maxim himself. Convenient how we remember the past to suit our own needs, isn't it?"

Lana looked at Calvin, whose eyes unmistakably narrowed. "And how would I be doing that, Lex?" he asked.

Raising his eyebrows, Lex gave a slight shrug. "The whole self-righteous act is just very ironic, coming from you of all people. I mean you're the one who turned your back on _me_, in case the years have altered your memory."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yeah. And you know once somebody betrays me, I don't tend to look back."

Calvin did not respond at first, but something in his expression wavered momentarily. "God help us all, then, I guess," he said at last.

»»««

Apart from the steady ticking of a nearby clock, the farmhouse was silent—dark, too, save for the kitchen, where Clark had taken a seat at the table. He'd spoken to the police about Lex and Lana's disappearance hours ago, but now it was the middle of the night and there was nothing much else to do. The cops had begun dusting the place for fingerprints by the time he left, at which point he was told to go home. Having alerted Pete to the situation as well, Clark had suggested they meet up in the morning to put their minds together. If only Chloe weren't in Metropolis at the moment...

As Clark's eyes moved restlessly about the room, a greenish spark suddenly caught his eye from the windowpane in the door. Walking over to it, he saw that the source was a lightning bug making its way across the glass, emitting forth his tiny glow with every stop. Clark looked past the firefly into the night and found some solace that at least somebody was still awake with him.

»»««

Before leaving the room to make some more "arrangements," Calvin had confirmed Lex's suspicions: two cameras were apparently monitoring the room, so any crazy escape attempt _pro_bably wasn't the brightest idea for the time being. Whatever Calvin was planning, though, he certainly didn't have all the time in the world to execute it.

I wonder if Calvin really is planning on killing me, Lex found himself pondering. He wouldn't exactly be surprised, given their history. Still, it was quite a concept to absorb, considering they used to be friends. Even if their bond _was _largely superficial, they'd still been close—and now this.

Lex's thoughts turned to the girl at his left again and the obvious lack of faith she had expressed in him. He quickly resolved to get them both out of there, even if only to prove to her that he could. The ridiculousness of such a motive occurred to him in the same instant, and he nearly smiled at what their captor had already accomplished, albeit unwittingly: in the span of just a few hours, Calvin had, by sheer virtue of his presence, reawakened the vengeful sort of spite Lex had thought he'd long exorcised.

"How are you holding up?" he finally asked Lana, looking over at her.

She shook her head. "I was just thinking how it's twice now that complete strangers from your past have warned me about the tendency of bad things to happen around you."

Lex's jaw clenched, all traces of his recent pledge to think nothing but pleasant thoughts about his co-hostage suddenly MIA.

"You also have to consider the source, Lana," he managed to counter. "You're acting like these people are completely rational."

"Well, that's easy for you to say. I mean you have to admit, your reputation isn't exactly perfect."

"This may come as a sur_prise_ to you, Lana?" Lex droned irritably. "But guess what, the world's not perfect." He did feel marginally guilty at his callousness just because he knew how frightened she probably was, but for the most part Lex found he really couldn't care less at the moment.

Lana's eyes flashed with sudden anger. "Of all people, don't lecture _me_ on how imperfect the world is," she seethed. "I'm the one who watched my parents die right in front of me—who gets to relive the whole experience whenever somebody mentions the meteor shower. I'm the one whose face was plastered over every magazine across the country just so people could shake their heads and feel emotionally connected to some cow town's tragedy. But I mean please, Lex, do—en_light_en me with just how imperfect this world really is."

While a bit taken aback by her vehemence, Lex was hardly motivated to retract his statement, let alone smile ruefully and assume the role of on-hand comforter.

"Well, I'd rather have grown up with no parents at all as opposed to getting saddled with one who hates me," he answered frostily. "You know between the two of us you're really quite lucky, when all is said and done."

Lana stared at him in angry disbelief. "That's a real shitty thing to say, Lex," she said quietly.

Lex's expression was dispassionate. "Yeah and guess what, I have the shitty experience to back it up, too."

Lana had no reply for this dully petulant assertion. She looked away reproachfully, thinking of home—and, of all people, Clark.

»»««

_The fog had settled around all of them now, obscuring even the closest of corners. Breathing in the stench of burning rubber that permeated the damp night air, Calvin chewed at the joint of his index finger as he stared at the draped figure surrounded by red and blue flashing puddles. The officer in front of him, meanwhile, was plying him with an endless barrage of questions._

_"You said the victim appeared to be incapacitated at the time of impact?"_

_Glancing in the man's general direction, Calvin gave an absent nod._

_"And the driver in fact tried to slam on his brakes upon seeing the victim but it was too late to avoid contact—that's right as well?" _

_Having resumed his gaze over the policeman's shoulder, Calvin didn't appear to hear the question at all._

_"Look, you're in some serious trouble here, son," the officer said, pointing back at Merrill's body behind him. "Now I'm going to have to take all of you in for further questioning."_

_Calvin glanced over at Lex, who was speaking with another cop a few feet away, and he turned back to the officer with sudden conviction._

_"I wasn't involved in any of this," he protested in a voice that came out much too rushed for his own liking. "I swear, it was all Lex's idea. I didn't know it would go this far."_

_Lex's head turned as though he had just heard something of considerable interest, and Calvin noticed the gravel fragments embedded in his cheek. There was a faint look of hurt that crept into his eyes, but it was extinguished so quickly and replaced with something so different and altogether detached that most would have never caught it at all._

_"I'm sorry," Lex began in a slow and even voice, apparently addressing the authorities while keeping his eyes leveled on Calvin, "but I've never seen this young man before tonight in my life."_

* * *

**END 5/?**

* * *

I swear this is the first time I ever lied to you  
And it's funny and it's sick  
How this house was falling down  
I swear my mind was transported to the other side

And nothing's what it seems anymore  
Nothing's what it seems anymore

I come running  
Through the worlds that you have built  
It's clear my fear is tormented by your lying eyes  
And it's lovely  
I live out every pretence  
I swear my heart is broken by your words again

And nothing's what it seems anymore  
My life ain't what it seems  
Living out tired dreams  
Where nothing's what it seems anymore

~ kenna


	6. Moment of Truth

**Summary:** Being forced to revisit his life before Smallville is nothing new to Lex, but this time an unwitting victim is brought along for the ride.

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, these guys still ain't mine!

I also do not own/have not written any of the lyrics or quotes which may appear as credited within this story; intended usage is merely to complement narrative and thematic elements of my original work.

**A/N:** This takes place shortly after Season 1's finale (which would probably alter something somewhere in the episodes that aired, but it's all good).

* * *

**VI: Moment of Truth**

* * *

Lex glanced over at Lana, unable to take the impasse any longer.

"Look, I know you're not used to having people talk back to you, but I'm afraid you're just going to have to deal with it so long as we're stuck here together."

Lana shook her head in apparent wonder. "You are so incredibly rude sometimes," she managed to get out. "I mean truly, it's almost hard to believe."

"That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about—why do you have to be so self-centered?" he implored.

"Why do you?"

A full minute passed.

"Too bad there aren't any Nicodemus plants around," Lex remarked suddenly. "At least then I'd have some entertainment."

Lana frowned. "What?"

Lex chuckled softly, looking away.

"What the hell is so funny?" she demanded.

"I just wish you could have seen how you acted that day. It was hilarious, the difference."

Lana eyed him suspiciously. "You told me I didn't say anything embarrassing to you when I approached you afterwards. You said, 'Don't waste another minute worrying about it;' that's what you told me."

Still refusing to face her, Lex felt the amused grin spreading despite his best efforts. "Yeah, well I guess I stretched the truth a bit on that one."

Lana's dark eyes were incredulous as she stared at his evasive profile. Finally, she gave an angry shrug. "You know what? I don't even want to know. You can just keep your little secret and your smug little smile."

"Oh, who ever taught you to be such a sore sport, anyway? It's highly unattractive, in case no one's ever told you."

"God, you're really unbelievable. Just don't even talk to me."

Another silence settled for a moment, and Lex raised his eyebrows as he stared straight ahead. "I believe the words 'bad boy' were uttered..."

Lana closed her eyes. "Lex..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, frowning contritely and nodding to himself.

Stealing a sideways glance at him, Lana eventually cracked a small, unexpected smile. "That does sound pretty funny, I have to admit," she said.

Lex looked up at the ceiling, indulging his own little downturned smirk. "Oh believe me, it was."

While the break in mood was certainly welcome, Lana could still feel the mortified color hanging in her cheeks. If she had hit on _Lex_ under the influence of that godforsaken flower, then all of Smallville must have gotten the treatment—which, for all intents and purposes, made Clark a dirty liar as well. This night just kept getting better and better.

Interrupting her thoughts again, Lex spoke in a tone that attempted to preserve some of the moment's levity: "I know you're scared, Lana—much as you probably don't want to hear it, I am, too. But honestly, fear is good: it sends us into survival mode. And lucky for you, I just happen to have some experience in the cheating death department."

Shooting him a dubious glance, Lana gave a half-hearted smile. "Lucky me."

"Look, once we get back to Smallville, stop by the mansion and I'll give you a handsome bonus for all of your troubles, OK? Call it an early birthday slash employee-of-the-month present."

Something in Lex's waiting expression made Lana forget why she was giving him such a hard time. "OK," she nodded.

»»««

The new day's heat was already oppressive as Pete followed Clark around the barn, watching him tinker with some odd repairs. Ever since the tornadoes hit, the farm had become a consuming, seemingly never-ending chore. Knowing Clark would be up at the crack of dawn, Pete decided it was as good a time as any to talk.

"I haven't been by yet," he said, after listening to Clark's recollection of the scene at the Talon the night before. "Is it still closed?"

"For now it is." Clark set a loose board against the wall for later consideration and turned back to his friend. "It just seems odd that somebody could have gotten both Lex and Lana away from there with hardly any sign of struggle," he said. "Maybe there's multiple people involved."

"Yeah, maybe... or maybe something else was at work that just made them compliant victims?"

"Yeah, I guess the police are looking into that. I wonder if Chloe knows about everything," Clark suddenly wondered aloud. "I haven't really talked to her lately."

"Well, seeing as she's at the Daily Planet, which is only like the hub of current events in Metropolis, I'm pretty sure she's heard about it by now."

"You're probably right. It's just crazy she's there for three whole months—we could definitely use her help on this, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Honestly, though, Clark? Maybe that's why she was so happy to get away this summer. I think a lot of the time she feels like people around here only care to hang out with her when they need something."

Clark looked shocked. "Pete! You know that's not true."

"Hey man, it's cool," Pete reassured him. "I know you're good friends with her. I just call it like I see it. Girls think from a whole '_nother _perspective, you know what I mean?"

The look on Clark's face said it all. "Yeah, I think I do."

»»««

Lex felt himself starting to nod off and glanced up in alarm. Lana caught his eye but looked as though she had been struggling in that capacity as well. The deep blue outside a window across the room appeared to be heralding morning. Just as Lex was trying to get his bearings, Calvin reappeared.

"So, how are you two enjoying the digs? I know it's not some big fucking castle, but hey. Gotta make do, you know what I mean?"

Lex eyed the room around them at the mention. "No, Calvin, I can see you've done well for yourself over the years."

Calvin shook his head. "You were always such a fucking wiseass," he reflected through gritted teeth. "Funny how you can end up hating something you once admired, how 'bout it."

"Oh, you never 'admired' me," Lex countered with an admonishing grin of his own.

Calvin made no response but instead moved over to inspect the tape around Lana's wrists and ankles. As she watched him lean down, Lana caught sight of what looked like track marks on his arms, and an odd wave of lightheadedness passed through her.

Noticing the direction of her gaze, Calvin stopped. "You like that, sweetheart? Like I said before, your boss over there sure used to."

Lex spoke from his place on the wall several feet away. "Not as much as you, apparently, Calvin."

"Well, we all know you can get over the effects of your old friend Heroin like a seasoned pro," Calvin said as he straightened, keeping his eyes trained on Lana—"I wonder how your _new_ friend might take to it, though."

Lex's expression darkened considerably. "If you go near her, Calvin, I swear to God—"

"Oh, what, Lex?" Calvin sneered. "You'll take me out somehow? I'd really like to see your sorry ass try."

"No," Lex assured him. "You really wouldn't."

Regarding Lex closely, Calvin suddenly appeared to notice the faint scar above Lex's right eye. "You know, I understand you were there in the mansion during the tornadoes," he said in an inquiring tone. "Right when Lionel met his rather unfortunate fate. So I guess you _are_ considerably dangerous."

Lex's mouth turned a curious smile as he looked down, shaking his head. "Yeah, you know, don't fuck with me."

Calvin raised a pointed finger in Lex's direction as he addressed Lana again. "See, he laughs, but it's the truth. This is the kind of person you're dealing with."

"Coming from the person who kidnapped her," Lex put in.

Calvin's expression was decidedly cross as he took a few steps towards Lex, stopping directly in front of him. "Don't spin your words for my benefit, Lex... you piece-of-shit excuse for a human being."

On the surface, the insult was almost comically juvenile, and so Lana was fairly astonished to see the look of injury that passed over Lex's face, subtle and fleeting as it was. It wasn't long, however, before Lex framed a response—and a most peculiar one at that.

"Do you know what the name Calvin means, by any chance?"

Calvin's eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled. "Why yes, Lex, I believe I do."

"Good, then you know it means 'bald.'"

"How ironic," Calvin replied evenly.

"Yes, well it seems you are more like me than you would prefer."

Calvin gave a sort of unamused smile, effectively belying the next words out of his mouth: "I'm _nothing_ like you, Lex. Let's get that much straight."

Lex, meanwhile, looked as though he'd expected as much. "Whatever you have to tell yourself, Calvin, you know."

"I'm really loving this little act of yours," Calvin said, his voice rising, "like you have one up on me or something. I mean I know you haven't looked in the mirror lately, but there's definitely one person in control of this situation, and I'll give you a hint: it ain't you."

"Don't make the mistake of underestimating me, Calvin. Too many have, and lived to regret it."

Without warning, Calvin brought his foot up and kicked Lex hard across the face. Lana recoiled at the blow, peering over in trepidation from beneath her hair.

"_Your_ problem, Lex," Calvin was meanwhile barking in the direction of Lex's downcast head, "is that you underestimate everyone."

Still reeling from the impact, Lex could only watch as his blood fell in strings to the floor. Evidence, he realized with a tiny shred of satisfaction.

"Don't worry," Calvin said suddenly, turning to look out the window. "I won't be keeping the two of you much longer. We're going to ride out what's left of today, and then_ tonight_ is the moment of truth. Just have a few things to wrap up, and we'll get this show underway."

"Maybe you'd be so good as to enlighten us to what that 'show' entails," Lex mumbled.

Calvin's answer was unexpectedly plain. "Well, Lex, tonight we're going to pay a visit to Ramey Sovereign, and you're going to get me into that safety deposit box of yours."

Lana watched as an unfamiliar look of hesitation clouded Lex's face. "How do you even know it's in that bank?" he asked. "There's how many chains in Metropolis—eleven, right?"

"Well, that's still not thirty, is it? I did my homework; plus, I've been waiting for this day long enough."

Lex didn't say anything for a moment. "I won't help you," he responded at last.

Calvin smirked. "No, Lex. Actually, you will. And then you're going to die."

* * *

**END 6/?  
**

* * *

Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness?  
Or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?  
Because I can't hold on when I'm stretched so thin  
I make the right moves, but I'm lost within  
I put on my daily façade, but then  
I just end up getting hurt again

If I turn my back, I'm defenseless  
And to go blindly seems senseless  
If I hide my pride and let it all go on  
Then they'll take from me till everything is gone

~ linkin park


End file.
